Learn more about how the EU works, improve your language skills and build a new contact network. Take the chance to do a traineeship at an EU institution or an EU agency.

Each year, several thousand students and recent graduates from Europe and around the world are given the opportunity to do traineeships at an EU institution or an EU agency. An EU traineeship is a chance to:

  • learn about the machinery of the EU from the inside
  • improve your language skills
  • develop valuable networks.

Additionally, an EU traineeship is often an advantage when applying for jobs.

You'll receive a monthly grant of around €1000, with the amount varying slightly between the different institutions.

What can you do?

Placements are possible at all EU institutions and most of the EU agencies. Opportunities and conditions, such as the educational background they require, differ between the various traineeship programmes. The length of the traineeship can also vary.

During your traineeship, you'll participate in the daily work of the institution/agency and the unit at which you're placed. This may include

  • attending and organising meetings and workshops
  • writing documents and reports
  • answering questions
  • participating in projects

What you can do largely depends on your background at the institution at which you're doing your traineeship.

The most common locations for EU trainees are Brussels, Luxemburg and Strasbourg. However, traineeships are also available at EU representations and liaison offices in the member states, as well as at EU delegations in countries outside the EU and Europe.

Who can apply?

In order to be eligible for a traineeship, you must have:

  • a completed university degree (at least a Bachelor’s)
  • a good level of English, French or German
  • excellent knowledge in another official EU language (Swedish is one of these).

You must have graduated before you apply.

In order to be eligible for a translator traineeship, your mother tongue must be one of the EU’s official languages. You must also be able to translate to your mother tongue from two other EU languages (of which one must be English, French or German).

When applying for an EU traineeship, you should be interested in issues relating to the EU, have a positive attitude and be willing to learn more about the EU institutions, agencies and bodies and how they work.

You can't apply for an EU traineeship if you've been a trainee (paid or unpaid) or have worked at an EU institution or other related authority longer than six weeks (for some traineeship programmes, two months).

When and how to apply

Every traineeship programme has its own application procedure. Some traineeship programmes have set application periods and set starting dates (February-March and September-October). Other traineeship programmes have no application deadline and accept trainees depending on available budget and current projects.

All EU institutions and most of the EU agencies - and even some EU bodies - offer various paid and unpaid traineeship programmes with their own application and selection procedures. Information about current placements and links to the various institutions can be found in the “Links” section.

Application dates and placement periods for EU traineeship programmes are published on the EU Careers Sweden Facebook page

If you have any questions, please contact:
Asia Riazantceva, Swedish Council for Higher Education
Email: concours@uhr.se

Page last updated 2023-10-24